Sam Watson, MSA

Executive Director
Michigan Health & Hospital Association
Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality

Sam Watson is the senior vice president for patient safety and quality of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and the executive director of the MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety and Quality. The Center conducts state-wide patient safety collaboratives including the Keystone ICU, Keystone Gift of Life projects, Keystone Hospital-Associated Infections, and the recently launched Keystone: Surgery. Additionally, Sam is responsible for quality and patient safety policy support for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and is a liaison for the MHA with the Joint Commission, American Osteopathic Associations Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, and other agencies relating to health care quality and patient safety. Sam also works in conjunction with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan on pay for performance and speaks nationally on patient safety.

Sam is a graduate of the Health Research & Educational Trust Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship program. Prior to joining the MHA Keystone Center, Sam was senior director of clinical performance measurement in the MHA Service Corporation (MHASC), where he was responsible for national operations of the MHASC’s clinical data collection software program, Core Options, a Joint Commission approved core measure vendor. In this position, Sam led the development, launch, marketing and subsequent support of a clinical data abstraction software product to capture and report on evidence based measures.

Before joining MHASC, Sam was the director of quality and pastoral care with a mid-Michigan medical center. Sam has also served as adjunct faculty for Ferris State University and Lansing Community College. He holds a BS in Clinical Laboratory Science and an MS in Administration.